Judges 12: Lessons on Being a Godly Leader from the 8th through 11th Deliverers

Introduction: Judges chapter 12 concludes the flawed legacy of God’s eighth deliverer Jephthah. After sacrificing his own daughter in a misguided vow to God, he helped to start a civil war with the neighboring tribe of Ephraim. He then reigned over the Israeli controlled portion of Jordan for a mere six years. He was then buried in an unknown location. He was then followed by three deliverers whom we know little about. We only know that they were prosperous, they reigned in peace, and their burial cities are known. Some assume that these were “minor” judges or deliverers because little is recorded about them. This is a mistaken view. Their quiet reigns of peace were more consistent with God’s expectations than the reigns of Gideon and Jephthah, which were filled with pride and wrath. From these four very different deliverers, God reveals seven lessons on how to be a Spirit-led leader, serving after His glory and not your own.

First, through Jephthah’s confrontation with the tribe of Ephraim, God reveals that a Spirit-led leader is meek or humble in the face of conflict. Second, from Jephthah’s decision to initiate Israel’s first civil war because he felt insulted, He reveals that a Spirit-led leader shows forgiveness to an enemy. Third, through Jephthah’s brutal execution of 42,000 captured soldiers, He reveals that a Spirit-led leader shows mercy to an enemy. Fourth, from Jephthah’s short six-year reign and his burial in an unidentified city, He reveals that the self-righteous acts of leaders are but filthy rags to Him that are quickly forgotten. Fifth, from the ninth deliverer Ibzan (who united Israel with 60 marriages between other clans and his own children), He reveals that a Spirit-led leader unites the body of Christ. Sixth, from the tenth deliverer Elon (who ruled for 10 years, a symbol of the divine order of the Ten Commandments), He reveals that a Spirit-led leader leads by example through the Ten Commandments. Finally, from the eleventh deliverer Abdon (whose name means servant), He reveals that a Spirit-led leader leads as a servant.

1. A Spirit-Led Leader is Meek or Humble in the Face of Conflict. Judges 12:1-3.

2. A Spirit-Led Leader Shows Forgiveness to His or Her Enemies. Judges 12:4

Jephthah starts a civil between the tribes of Gilead and Ephraim1

3. A Godly Leader Shows Mercy to an Enemy. Judges 12:5-6.

Jephthah’s vengeance leads to the death of 42,000 captured soldiers from Ephraim2

4. A Leader’s Self-Righteous Acts are Filthy Rags that Will be Forgotten. Judges 12:7.

5. A Spirit-Led Leader Unites the Body of Christ. Judges 12:8-10.

Ibzan united the people and served in humility3

6. A Spirit-Led Leader Brings Divine Order. Judges 12:11-12.

Elon quietly served and brought order to God’s people4

7. A Spirit-Led Leader is Blessed When He Serves God’s People. Judges 12:13-15.

Abdon served God and His people to restore Israel5